OLYMPIA – Fishery managers have decided to keep the Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) sport fishery open to the retention of hatchery chinook salmon for now and continue to assess the catch daily, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

Late last week, biologists projected that the mark-selective fishery for hatchery chinook in Marine Area 9 could close at the end of today. However, after reviewing the catch estimates, there is enough room under the quota to continue fishing, said Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound recreational salmon manager for WDFW.

“We’re nearing the quota, so we are monitoring this fishery very closely,” Thiesfeld said.

The mark-selective fisheries for hatchery chinook in marine areas 9 and 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) are managed under a combined quota of 7,000 chinook. Of that quota, only 1,700 chinook can be harvested in Marine Area 10, where chinook salmon retention closed Saturday evening.

The closure in Marine Area 10 for chinook salmon does not affect recreational fisheries for coho salmon and other species.

As of July 29, the estimated harvest of hatchery chinook in marine areas 9 and 10 is 6,500 fish.